Data Center with free-space optical communications

• US 20110286748A1
• Filed: 05/19/2010
• Published: 11/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Mangione-Smith, William Henry, Hamilton, James R., Myhrvold, Nathan P., Tegreene, Clarence T., Lord, Robert W., Jung, Edward K.Y., Whitmer, Charles, Wood, Lowell L. JR., Hyde, Roderick A., Kare, Jordin T., Josefsberg, Arne, Rashid, Richard F., Davidson, Howard Lee, Mundie, Craig J., Welland, Robert V., Manos, Michael, Smith, Burton, Lustig, Kenneth
• Granted Patent: US 8,483,568 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/118
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1149 Arrangements for indoor wireless networking of information

Abstract

A data center for executing a data processing application includes processing units, sub-units or servers. Each of the processing units, sub-units or servers can execute a part or all of the data processing application. The processing units, sub-units or servers are electrical disjoint with respect to data communications, but can communicate with each other over free space optical links.

Claims

1-248. -248. (canceled)

249. A data center comprising:

a plurality of data center units (DCUs) disposed in a region, wherein each DCU is configured to run a part or all of a data processing application; and

a number M of broadcasting transmitters (M≧

1) and a number N of optical receivers (N≧

1) associated with the plurality of DCUs disposed in the region,

wherein each of the M broadcasting transmitters are configured to broadcast optical control and/or data signals to the each of the N optical receivers over an internal network of separate free space optical communication links that form M×

N distinct communication channels between pairs of the M broadcasting transmitters and the N optical receivers in the region.

250. The data center of claim 249, wherein each of the M×

N distinct communication channels between pairs of the M broadcasting transmitters and the N optical receivers in the region is associated with a distinct channel-identifying characteristic, and wherein the transmitter and receiver associated with the channel are respectively configured to transmit and receive optical control and/or data signals having the distinct channel-identifying characteristic.

251. The data center of claim 249, wherein the distinct channel-identifying characteristic comprises one or more of a channel-identifying wavelength, polarization, time-slots, header, and/or combination thereof.

255. The data center of claim 249, wherein each of the M broadcasting transmitters is configured to broadcast optical control and/or data signals simultaneously and/or sequentially to the N optical receivers.

256. The data center of claim 249, wherein the internal network includes one or more nodes associated with individual DCUs and/or one or more nodes interposed between the DCUs.

257. The data center of claim 249, wherein at least a first of the plurality of DCUs includes an optical interface unit (OIU) configured to connect the first DCU to the internal network in response to a free space optical control signal.

258. The data center of claim 249, wherein one or more of the M broadcasting transmitters are associated with respective identifying-wavelengths, and each of the one or more of the M broadcasting transmitters is configured to broadcast optical control and/or data signals at its respective identifying-wavelength.

259. The data center of claim 258, wherein one or more of the N optical receivers are configured to identify a broadcasting transmitter by the identifying-wavelength of the optical control and/or data signals broadcast by the broadcasting transmitter.

260. The data center of claim 249, wherein a first of the plurality of DCUs is configured to broadcast a free space optical control/and or data signal over the internal network at different wavelengths, and wherein an intended recipient is designated by a respective wavelength.

261. The data center of claim 260, wherein a receiving DCU is configured to recognize that it is the intended recipient of a free space optical control/and or data signal broadcast over the internal network by recognizing its respective wavelength signal.

262. The data center of claim 249, wherein one or more of the M broadcasting transmitters are associated with respective signal polarizations and each of the one or more of the M broadcasting transmitters is configured to broadcast optical control and/or data signals at its respective signal polarization.

263. The data center of claim 262, wherein one or more of the N optical receivers are configured to identify a broadcasting transmitter by the polarization of its broadcasted optical control and/or data signals.

264. The data center of claim 249, wherein a first of the plurality of DCUs is configured to broadcast a free space optical control/and or data signal over the internal network at different polarizations, wherein an intended recipient is designated by a respective polarization.

265. The data center of claim 264, wherein a receiving DCU is configured to recognize that it is the intended recipient of a free space optical control/and or data signal broadcast over the internal network by recognizing its respective polarization signal.

266. The data center of claim 249, wherein one or more of the broadcasting transmitters are configured to broadcast optical control and/or data signals over at least a color region (˜

1% wide frequency region).

267. The data center of claim 266 wherein the color region is a color region at about 1.44, 1.47, or 1.55 microns wavelength.

268. The data center of claim 249, wherein one or more of the broadcasting transmitters are configured to broadcast optical control and/or data signals over of two or more color regions.

269. The data center of claim 249, wherein one or more of the M broadcasting transmitters are associated with respective transmitter-identifying characteristics, and wherein each of the one or more of the M broadcasting transmitters are configured to transmit optical control and/or data signals having respective transmitter-identifying characteristics.

270. The data center of claim 269, wherein one or more of the N optical receivers are configured to identify a broadcasting transmitter by recognizing the respective transmitter-identifying characteristics of the optical control and/or data signals broadcast by the broadcasting transmitter.

271. The data center of claim 269, wherein the respective transmitter-identifying characteristics comprise one or more of an identifying wavelength, a polarization, a transmit time slot, a header and/or any combination thereof.

275. The data center of claim 249, wherein a first of the plurality of DCUs is configured to broadcast a free space optical control/and or data signal over the internal network with identifying characteristics, and wherein an intended recipient is designated by a respective combination of identifying characteristics.

276. The data center of claim 275, wherein a receiving DCU is configured to recognize it is the intended recipient of a free space optical control/and or data signal broadcast over the internal network by recognizing its respective combination of the identifying characteristics.

280. The data center of claim 275 wherein the respective identifying characteristics comprise one or more of an identifying wavelength, a polarization, a transmit time slot, a header and/or any combination thereof.

281. The data center of claim 249, wherein a multiplicity of the data center units are associated with respective identifying-wavelengths, wherein the multiplicity of the data center units is configured to simultaneously broadcast optical control and/or data signals at their respective identifying-wavelengths over the internal network, and wherein a receiving DCU comprises a detector configured to wavelength-demultiplex a received optical control and/or data signal.

282. The data center of claim 281, wherein the detector configured to wavelength-demultiplex a received optical control and/or data signal comprises an array of photodiodes operating at different wavelengths.

283. The data center of claim 282, wherein the detector is further configured to buffer the wavelength-demultiplexed signal.

284. The data center of claim 249, wherein the plurality of data center units comprises one or more of data center bottles and/or data processing units, wherein the data center bottles include a plurality of data processing units, wherein the data processing units include one or more data processing circuits, and wherein the data processing circuits include one or more electronic modules, boxes, servers, cards, boards, and/or racks or free standing assemblies thereof.

252-254. -254. (canceled)

272-274. -274. (canceled)

277-279. -279. (canceled)

285. A data center unit (DCU) comprising:

one or more data processing units that are configured to run a part or all of a data processing application; and

a transmitter and/or a receiver coupled to the one or more data processing units, the transmitter having a transmitting position and the receiver having a receiving position, wherein the transmitter in its transmitting position is configured to broadcast optical data signals over a plurality of optical communication links extending from the DCU in its transmitting position, and wherein the receiver in its receiving position is configured to receive multiple optical control and/or data signals over a plurality of free space optical communication links leading to the DCU.

288. The data center unit of claim 285, wherein the DCU is associated with DCU-identifying characteristics, and wherein the transmitter in its transmitting position is configured to broadcast optical control and/or data signals at the DCU'"'"'s-identifying-characteristic.

289. The data center unit of claim 285, wherein the receiver in its receiving position is configured to identify a sending DCU by the DCU'"'"'s identifying-characteristic of the optical control and/or data signals broadcast by the sending DCU.

290. The data center unit of claim 288, wherein the DCU-identifying-characteristic is one or more of a identifying-wavelength, signal polarization, transmit time slot, signal header and/or a combination thereof.

298. The data center unit of claim 285, wherein the receiver includes an imaging device, and wherein the receiver is configured to recognize a sending DCU by recognizing an angular direction of a received signal.

302. The data center unit of claim 285, wherein the transmitter in its transmitting position is configured to broadcast optical control and/or data signal so that an intended recipient is designated by a respective recipient-identifying characteristic.

303. The data center unit of claim 302, wherein the receiver in its receiving position is configured to recognize that it is an intended recipient of a free space optical control/and or data signal by recognizing its respective recipient-identifying characteristic.

304. The data center unit of claim 302, wherein the respective recipient-identifying characteristic comprises one or more of a signal wavelength, signal polarization, transmit time slot, header and/or any combination thereof.

312. The data center unit of claim 285, wherein the receiver is configured to wavelength-demultiplex received optical control and/or data signals.

313. The data center unit of claim 312, wherein the receiver configured to wavelength-demultiplex a received optical control and/or data signal comprises an array of photodiodes operating at different wavelengths.

314. The data center unit of claim 312, wherein the receiver is further configured to buffer the wavelength-demultiplexed signal.

315. The data center unit of claim 285, wherein the one or more data processing units are arranged as one or more individual data processing units and/or in one or more groups as data center bottles, wherein the plurality of data processing units include one or more data processing circuits, and wherein the data processing circuits include one or more electronic modules, boxes, servers, cards, boards, and/or racks or free standing assemblies thereof.

286-287. -287. (canceled)

291-297. -297. (canceled)

299-301. -301. (canceled)

305-311. -311. (canceled)

316-786. -786. (canceled)

787. A method comprising:

providing a plurality of data center units (DCUs) disposed in a region, wherein each DCU is configured to run a part or all of a data processing application; and

providing a number M of broadcasting transmitters (M≧

1) and a number N of optical receivers (N≧

1) associated with the plurality of DCUs disposed in the region,

wherein each of the M broadcasting transmitters are configured to broadcast optical control and/or data signals to the each of the N optical receivers over an internal network of separate free space optical communication links that form M×

N distinct communication channels between pairs of the M broadcasting transmitters and the N optical receivers in the region.

788. The method of claim 787, wherein each of the M×

N distinct communication channels between pairs of the M broadcasting transmitters and the N optical receivers in the region is associated with a distinct channel-identifying characteristic, and wherein the transmitter and receiver associated with the channel are respectively configured to transmit and receive optical control and/or data signals having the distinct channel-identifying characteristic.

789. The method of claim 787, wherein the distinct channel-identifying characteristic comprises one or more of a distinct channel-identifying wavelength, polarization, time-slots in optical control and/or data signals, header and/or combination thereof.

793. The method of claim 787, wherein each of the M broadcasting transmitters is configured to broadcast optical control and/or data signals simultaneously and/or sequentially to the N optical receivers.

796. The method of claim 787, wherein one or more of the M broadcasting transmitters are associated with respective identifying-characteristic, and each of the one or more of the M broadcasting transmitters is configured to broadcast optical control and/or data signals with its respective identifying-characteristic(s).

797. The method of claim 796, wherein one or more of the N optical receivers are configured to identify a broadcasting transmitter by the identifying-characteristic(s) the optical control and/or data signals broadcast by the broadcasting transmitter.

798. The method of claim 796, wherein the identifying-characteristic(s) comprise one or more of an identifying wavelength, polarization, time-slots in optical control and/or data signals, header and/or combination thereof.

802. The method of claim 787, wherein a first of the plurality of DCUs is configured to broadcast a free space optical control/and or data signal over the internal network with different identifying characteristics, wherein an intended recipient is designated by a respective identifying characteristic.

803. The method of claim 802, wherein a receiving DCU is configured to recognize that it is the intended recipient of a free space optical control/and or data signal broadcast over the internal network by recognizing its respective identifying characteristics.

804. The method of claim 802, wherein the identifying-characteristic(s) comprise one or more of an identifying wavelength, polarization, time-slots in optical control and/or data signals, header and/or combination thereof.

790-792. -792. (canceled)

794-795. -795. (canceled)

799-801. -801. (canceled)

805-822. -822. (canceled)

823. (DCU version) A method for executing a data processing application, comprising:

in a data center unit (DCU),

providing one or more data processing units that are configured to run a part or all of a data processing application; and

providing a transmitter and/or a receiver coupled to the one or more data processing units, the transmitter having a transmitting position and the receiver having a receiving position, wherein the transmitter in its transmitting position is configured to broadcast optical data signals over a plurality of optical communication links extending from the DCU in its transmitting position, and wherein the receiver in its receiving position is configured to receive multiple optical control and/or data signals over a plurality of free space optical communication links leading to the DCU.

824. The method of claim 823, further comprising, providing an optical interface unit configured to connect the DCU to a network of optical communication links including the plurality of optical communication links extending from and leading to the DCU.

825. The method of claim 823, wherein the transmitter in its transmitting position is configured to broadcast a multiplicity of optical control and/or data signals simultaneously and/or sequentially to a plurality of receivers.

853. The method of claim 823, wherein the plurality of data processing units include one or more data processing circuits, and wherein the data processing circuits include one or more electronic modules, boxes, servers, cards, boards, and/or racks or free standing assemblies thereof.

826-852. -852. (canceled)

854-1138. -1138. (canceled)